Out of the Woodwork
by Mystikwriter
Summary: Rick had only himself to blame.


Rick had only himself to blame. At any other time he would have known better than to let Jonathan out of his sight, but after the past week he'd been exhausted and he hadn't paid attention when Jonathan had muttered about being thirsty and slipped out the door. Wrapped around his wife and son on the stiff blankets, Rick had been more involved in measuring the steady beat of Evy's heart as she pressed back against his chest, or Alex's soft breathing as he slept.

He would have liked to have drifted off with them, but he was too wound up to get comfortable. The tension that continued to simmer through muscle and bone wouldn't fade until he got his family off this damn continent and back to England.

It had taken him some time to realize that Jonathan wasn't going to come back on his own, and as much as Rick considered Jonathan a pain in the ass, he was still family and Rick wanted everyone in one spot where he could keep an eye on them.

His temper already simmering due to how close he'd come to losing his family, being forced to hunt Jonathan down and pull him out of whatever situation he'd managed to fall into (and there _would_ be a situation Rick knew because Jonathan was a menace) pissed him off. He did not want to leave Evy and Alex alone right now and when he eventually found Jonathan he was going to _get creative_.

It didn't take Rick long to track him down. After eight years the man was disgustingly predictable, and while they'd already been through the whole "defending the world" thing before, there was really only one thing Jonathan would want right now. What any sane man would want after fighting the undead. Something to make him forget.

A quick chat with the hotel clerk behind the counter confirmed his suspicions once the man admitted to giving Jonathan directions to a bar upon being asked. That Rick managed to resist manhandling the clerk was more about wanting to save his bruised knuckles the trouble. The place wasn't far, and without knowing it Jonathan had saved himself some bruises since Rick would have been unable to restrain himself if he'd been forced to run the length of the city looking for him.

Even frustrated he had to admit that Jonathan had most likely stayed close on purpose. A flake Jonathan might be, but he loved his family. Imhotep might have been thwarted once again, and the Scorpion King banished, but there was no telling what might crawl out of the woodwork now.

It took him a couple minutes to find the bar, armed with the clerk's directions and vague memories of the city's layout. Stepping through the door, Rick hesitated a few seconds to give his eyes time to adjust. The place was a far cry from some of the bars he knew could be found in the city, with colored tiles decorating the walls and floors, ornate rugs tossed here and there amidst trickling fountains. Here the floor was packed dirt, the tables and chairs having seen better days.

No one glanced up as he entered besides the man behind the counter, but it was still early yet, which accounted for the lack of life. Rick had been in enough drinking dens to recognize when a place offered trouble. Just crossing the threshold had made the skin between his shoulder blades itch.

He found what he was looking for slumped against the counter, one hand splayed out to keep his balance on a stool that looked ready to collapse. Rick wasn't sure whether to blame the wobbling on Jonathan's state or the age worn wood. While one hand held him up, the other clumsily guided a small shot glass to Jonathan's mouth.

Mouth pressed into a flat line, Rick strode forward. His hand clamped down on Jonathan's shoulder, interrupting the slurred tale he'd been telling to the roughly dressed man two seats over. The grip served to keep Jonathan in his seat when he started, but did nothing to preserve the shot glass. It slipped from Jonathan's fingers and spilled over the counter.

Jonathan flailed around only to sag when he caught sight of Rick. His smile was sloppy and he managed to swing one arm up onto Rick's shoulder through luck rather than coordination. "Rick, old boy, you scared the life out of me."

"Jonathan. I thought I would find you here." Rick squeezed Jonathan's shoulder tight, uncaring if he left bruises. He looked over the empty glasses that littered the counter, a few overturned. "I think you've had enough."

"Not yet, Rick, not yet. But I'm getting there." With a low laugh Jonathan waved at the bartender. "Get me another two shots, one for me, and one for this chap."

Rick caught the bartender's eye and shook his head.

Hand still on Rick's shoulder, Jonathan leaned closer to the man he'd been speaking to. "This guy's a hero you know. Saved the whole world. Twice." He held up two fingers and set some of the empty shot glasses rolling with his elbow.

Rick opened his mouth to apologize, or rip Jonathan a new one, he wasn't exactly sure, only for his teeth to click together as he got a good look at Jonathan's drinking companion/victim. He hadn't really noticed him before, more intent on dragging Jonathan back to the hotel, but he was looking now.

He was dressed in a white lawn shirt stained with sweat and dust, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. A leather harness much like's Rick's was settled across his shoulders with the weight of two Colts. While Rick didn't necessarily see any more weapons, the lines of the man's clothes made him figure there were at least three knives he wasn't seeing, maybe more.

More telling than the weapons or the way the man sat so he could see the door at all times was the way he returned Rick's quick assessment from beneath the brim of his hat. Rick got the impression of dark curls and a shadowed jaw that hadn't seen a blade in days. Rick tightened his already rough grip on Jonathan's shoulder, ignoring his drunken complaints. The stranger's regard held a weight that set the back of his neck prickling and made his fingers itch to reach for his guns.

He'd met a couple people here and there that made him uneasy, something about the way they walked or tilted their head setting off some warning bell in the back of his mind. This guy was like an air-raid siren going off next to his ear. Just looking at him made Rick's jaw clench.

"He's been telling some very interesting stories." The lazy curl of the man's mouth said he knew exactly what was going through Rick's mind.

"He believes me about the mummies, you know," Jonathan said in a loud whisper.

Rick resolved to introduce Jonathan to a wall once he was sober. Evy would frown, but it would make this conversation worth it. "Does he now?"

"Yes." Jonathan nodded. "You see I was telling him that mummies are well enough buggers, as long as they stay dead. It's when they come back to life that they cause problems."

So maybe he would skip the wall and just toss Jonathan off the balcony of their room. Evy would have to understand. Jonathan yelped as Rick's fingers dug into his shoulder. "Jonathan, what have I told you about telling your stories?"

The stranger laughed and took a sip of his drink. "Don't bother. I've been around the world a time or two, and while I haven't had to face down any mummies I've had my share of trouble."

Screw the balcony. He was going to drag Izzy back by the scruff of his neck just so he could throw Jonathan out of the airship. Only Jonathan would fall head first into a new kind of trouble when the dust had barely settled on the last crisis.

The stranger kept talking. "You two wouldn't happen to have been involved in that mess in Cairo about eight years back?"

"Right in the thick of it, we were!" Jonathan slapped his hand against the table. "Hell, we showed ole Imhotep, didn't we, Rick." Then he leaned closer to the stranger. "It's a lot easier to wake up a mummy than it is to put him back."

The stranger considered Jonathan before looking up at Rick. The hazel eyes were old in a face that couldn't be older than mid-thirties. "I didn't get to see it for myself. Had to get the story second hand." The man's eyes flicked to Rick's wrist before he took another sip of his drink.

Rick's eyes narrowed, unconsciously flexed his hand into a fist before he forced his fingers to relax. He hadn't been able to bring himself to hide the tattoo, not with Ardeth's words still circling in his thoughts. If this guy had recognized the mark for what it was maybe he wasn't a total nutcase. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't." The man's smile was grim. "But I'm willing to share if you do."

"I'm Rick, and this is Jonathan," Rick said quickly, tightening his fingers as a warning when Jonathan opened his mouth. At this rate Jonathan's shoulder was going to be black and blue.

"My name is Gabriel." Real amusement touched the curve of Gabriel's mouth. "Considering what I know of our mutual friends," Gabriel didn't glance at the tattoo this time, "I'm surprised they let you walk away after that stunt." The smile deepened. "They get a little touchy about trespassers."

Something about that smile told Rick that Gabriel had experienced the Medjai's special brand of hospitality. That he had managed to walk away after the fact was telling. "We helped to clean up after ourselves so they decided not to take it personally."

"So how did you meet…uh…," Jonathan trailed off, even drunk knowing better than to mention the Medjai out loud, much to Rick's relief.

"It's complicated. Let's just say we're not opposed to working together if the situation calls for it."

"You said you've never had to deal with mummies. What else is out there?" Jonathan asked, his words slurring a touch at the ends.

"To be honest I'd be here all day if I tried to list them all." Rick did _not_ like the sound of that. "Let's just say not everything that comes back from the dead is wrapped in bandages and dropping body parts left and right." Another grim smile. "Some like to bite."

Jonathan blinked before his eyes widened to comical proportions. "You don't mean vampires! Those are a myth!" Once again Rick's grip kept Jonathan in his seat when enthusiasm and an unknown number of shots would have sent him tumbling to the floor.

"Everything's a myth, right up until it starts chewing on your neck." Gabriel grimaced before knocking back the rest of his drink. Setting the glass back on the counter with a sharp click, he stood. "Well I had best be on my way. Judging from the wear and tear I'd guess civilization as we know it had a near miss recently, and that's usually when other kinds of trouble tend to come crawling out of their holes."

"Now wait a minute! You can't say something like that then just leave," Jonathan exclaimed with righteous ignition. Rick figured it would look more impressive if he'd managed not to slur his words.

Rick on the other hand, was quite happy to let the man leave. Questions and demands piled up behind his teeth but right now he would rather bite off his own tongue than go asking for more trouble. He'd had enough of ancient Egyptian curses and angry dead priests with delusions of world domination, thank you. Besides, he'd learned from experience that if he pumped enough lead into a problem, even if it didn't drop dead it usually slowed down long enough for him to discover a way to make it happen.

Gabriel didn't make directly for the door, stopping just out of arm's reach. Rick found the man's caution amusing since he knew in his gut that if it came to blows, Gabriel would win. He wasn't sure how he knew, something about the way the air seemed thicker where it passed between them, as if something kept it from flowing freely.

Gabriel's sharp eyes passed between them, something just shy of amusement lurking around the bare curve of his lips. "I don't stay still for very long, but if you ever need an extra gun just let our mutual friends know. They can usually get a hold of me."

"Thanks for the offer." Rick bared his teeth in a smile. "You'll understand if I hope I never see you again."

Gabriel cracked out a laugh, and if it sounded rusty, well, Rick was better off not knowing. "Maybe that's for the best. I don't play well with others." He nodded at Jonathan, not bothering to conceal a wry smirk. "Keep an eye on that one. He reminds me of an old friend of mine, and if they're anything alike they don't need to go looking for trouble. It'll find them."

"You have no idea," Rick muttered, a glare stifling Jonathan's attempt to defend him self. He watched Gabriel stride towards the door, taking in how the rest of the patrons kept their heads down and their eyes averted. Clearly they felt what ever he'd sensed as well.

"Strange bloke. Do you think he was serious about the vampires?" Jonathan peered nervously at the rest of the bar patron's, as if expecting one of them to leap up and sprout fangs.

Gripping his temper with both hands, Rick reached out and snagged the front of Jonathan's shirt. Slamming his brother-in-law against the counter edge, Rick sent the bartender sliding to the far side of the counter with a sharp glare before he spoke. "Jonathan, let's get some things straight, shall we?" He waited for the frantic nod before continuing. "One, we are never going to speak about Gabriel and the very strange, and quite frankly, very crazy conversation we just had."

"But – what if there are vam—,"

"I don't care," Rick said through clenched teeth. "Two, Evy and Alex are not going to hear about this, under any circumstances." He didn't even want to think about what Evy would do if she thought vampires actually existed. "Three, we are going to go back to the hotel, and you are going to restrain yourself from doing anything else this monumentally stupid again. At least until we get home and I can go back to ignoring you. Are we clear?"

Jonathan blinked up at him with wide eyes, mouth dropped open with shock. "Yes?"

"Good enough," Rick muttered. Digging into his pocket he pulled out a couple of pounds and tossed them onto the counter. Then he proceeded to drag Jonathan out of the bar.

In spite of what he'd made Jonathan promise, Rick had to acknowledge in the safety of his own mind that he had no intention of forgetting what just happened. He'd made some interesting friends during that grey area between his days at the orphanage and joining the Legion. When he got home he'd see what he could dig up on this Gabriel character.

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